Tatar Non-Standard Language (In the Novel “Gam” by A. Motallapov)

The aim of this paper was to examine the novel “Gamʹ” by the Tatar writer A. Motallapov regarding the author's use of non-standard language. The novel was published in autumn 2014 in the Tatar journal “Kazan Utlari” and it is an interesting example of the use of non-standard language in Tatar literature. The author employed non-standard elements in the speech of some of his protagonists, thus illustrating their regional origins and social belonging. The use of non-standard language in Tatar literature is mostly not considered in academic literature, and also non-standard lexis in Tatar at large is rarely an object of investigation. The non-standard phrases in the given text were characterized by expressive features, short simple syntax, and dialect pronunciation. Definitions of “standard” and “non-standard” were also given along with analysis of dialect usage. Thus, the focus of the present analysis was on phenomena which could be seen as part of variety as well as contact linguistics.